Cooking with a splash of beer

One of the best secret ingredients in cooking has to be beer--nobody expects it. In Milwaukee, I don't think that's a secret because beer is in everything here: beer cheese dip, beer-boiled brats, beer cheese soup, beer-battered fish fry. I guess when there's so much on hand it's hard not to think of new and creative uses for beer.




This is my most favorite upon favorite of beer recipes and I can't believe they post it online! When I lived abroad I would seriously have dreams about this pot roast. My mouth would water just thinking about it. The recipe originates from the Spice House but is now a staple on the County Clare menu

Grandma Flanigan's Guinness Pot Roast from the County Clare Restaurant
Ingredients
16 ounces Guinness Stout
3 to 4 pound chuck roast
2 tablespoons Spice House's English Prime Rib Rub
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour Guinness into bowl and set aside so beer flattens. Rub roast with English Prime Rib Rub seasoning. In large non- stick pan over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil. Sear roast on each side until browned. Immediately remove meat from pan and set in large roasting pan. Coarsely chop onions and add to pan along with garlic. Add stock. Roast in preheated oven 1 hour. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and add Guiness. Liquid level should be at least halfway up side of roast. Roast an additional 2 hours, check liquid level periodically and add water if needed. If adding vegetables while roast cooks, add during last 45 minutes. After 3 hours, roast should be fork-tender. Transfer roast onto warm platter. Place roasting pan on stove top, on high, stirring juices constantly. Make a slurry by combining water and cornstarch. Gradually add to juice until mixture thickens. Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over meat and vegetables. Makes 4 to 6 servings Note: At the restaurant vegetables such as carrots, wedges of cabbage and mashed potatoes are served alongside meat. If desired, your choice of vegetables can be added to pot and cooked with roast as noted above.





This recipe was posted in the Journal Sentinel a while ago and immediately went to my favorites box. When I tried it at Centraal it had bacon wrapped around it, but you could easy add that to this recipe.

The Benelux Meatloaf from Cafe Centraal
Ingredients:
2 ribs celery, diced
¾ cup diced red bell pepper
¾ cup diced carrots
¾ cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
2 pounds ground chuck
½ pound ground turkey
¼ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
¼ cup A.1. Steak Sauce
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 eggs
¼ cup Lakefront Abbey Ale or another Belgian beer
Canola oil to coat pan

Preparation:
- Combine vegetables, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add meat and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together ketchup, hot pepper sauce, A.1. sauce, evaporated milk, eggs and beer until well combined.
- Add wet mixture to meat/vegetable mixture and mix with hands until well-combined.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a bread pan with canola oil, then line with a piece of parchment paper. Pack meat mixture into pan, making sure all air pockets are filled. Invert meatloaf onto parchment-lined baking sheet. If meat does not come out of pan easily, loosen sides with a knife.
- Set in center rack of oven and bake 1 hour or until done. Remove from oven and cool slightly before cutting.